The same holds for the sovereignty of tribal governments.
The State of California, for instance, is sovereign to the extent that its powers are defined and limited by the Constitution of the United States as interpreted by the U.S. The United States has a mix of governments: federal, state and American Indian tribes or Alaska Native entities. The Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, along with over 560 other tribal governments throughout the United States including over 100 tribes in California, is a federally recognized political jurisdiction with governmental authority over its reservation land and people, similar in scope and authority to states. Today, the 5,500-acre Pechanga Reservation is located near Temecula being east of Interstate 15 and Highway 79 South. Original aboriginal lands expanded far out from the traditional Luiseño center of Temecula, California. The Pechanga Band derives its authority to govern from the General Membership. The Pechanga Band, also called the Luiseño (Spanish Missionaries), and for a time Mission (California English) Indians, has been a sovereign government since before the United States came into existence. A people of tradition, we do not let the sun rise or set without remembering who we are - the Pechanga People.Ī Fully Functioning Modern Tribal Government
